Visitors to Dubai!

Andrew:

Over the past two months Jamie and I have had the good fortune of having several visitors to Dubai. Here are some pictures and short stories.

Amy Gerhiser - Our good friend and neighbor from Atlanta is still our neighbor in a way since she is now living in Doha, Qatar where she is teaching English at Qatar University. Amy lived 3 floors up from Andrew when he lived in downtown Atlanta. She came to visit us during her spring break and her friend Khalil joined us over the weekend as well. We were glad to see her and meet Khalil. We are planning on visiting Amy in Doha soon.

Pauley Tedoff - She is another good friend from Atlanta, but she is now living in Ecuador. Andrew worked with Pauley when we were at the United Nations organization called CIFAL Atlanta. She is a really outgoing person who has a million friends and speaks enough languages to count on two hands. Amazingly the Government of Qatar flew here from Quito via Atlanta to Doha for a conference. She flew to Dubai to meet with us and her friends after it was over. We had dinner with her and couple of her friends at Wafi one evening. We were glad to see her and look forward to visiting her in Ecuador or whereever she will be next.

Georgia State University MBA Class - A group from Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, where Jamie and I are both alum, came to Dubai for a study abroad visit. They interviewed the founders of Jamie's company. Here is a link to their blog. http://www.egyptdubai2008.com/study_abroad_blog.htm

Wiley Jones - A fellow Daltonian, Wiley, is the father of a friend and high school classmate of Andrew's who happens to also be named Jamie. Wiley is a Regional VP for Shaw (the world's best carpet manufacturer) and has been regularly coming to Dubai since 1986. You would think he was from Dubai because everyone knows and speaks fondly of him. He is a classic, genuine salesman and whose amazing stories can keep you entertained for hours. We met him and his colleague, Mohammed Kutty, at the Marriot for a wonderful dinner at place where both of their names are framed on a table. He was very kind to us and we look forward to meeting up with him the next time he is back in town.

Mike Wigal - A friend of Jason Combs (Jason is the friend of Andrew's who helped get the job in Dubai) who was in town for a university recruiting expo. He is a world traveler and possibly the only person I have met who is as well read as my father (130 books last year). He kept us engaged with his histry/life lessons and stories. At age 58, Mike, is going to spend the next 2 years working for the Peace Corps in the central Africa country of Botswana. Here is the link to his blog: http://mike247worldwide.blogspot.com/